


Strange Errata

by Slybrarian



Series: Strange Aeon [4]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Ancients, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2009-11-24
Updated: 2009-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-03 17:00:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slybrarian/pseuds/Slybrarian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being random in-universe documents for the "Strange Aeon" alternate universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Historical Summary - Ancients

****

WARNING - THIS DOCUMENT REQUIRES SEQUIOA GOLD CLEARANCE.

Date: 2004-04-13  
Subject: Species SEQUIOA GOLD

Summary:

This document contains a thorough examination of our current historical knowledge regarding the species commonly known as the Ancients, also called the Elder Things and designated SEQUIOA GOLD under the NATO unified classification scheme. Most of Ancient history remains unknown. There are only a few periods that we have even the most minimal data on, primarily in the recent past. This is unsurprising given that our sources are primarily Ancient ruins and some information from the Asgard, who themselves admit they know only a fraction of the Ancient's full history.

The Ancients first came to Earth sometime around sixty-five million years ago, a date based upon the age of the planet's original stargate in Antarctica. This timeframe is, admittedly, somewhat shaky. The gate and its DHD could have been moved from somewhere else. However, given that this date lines up with the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event, it seems likely that it is accurate. How long the Ancients existed before this point remains unclear, but it could well be many more millions of years. Certainly they were around long enough to seed the vast majority of this galaxy and possibly others with their favored biosphere.

The next several million years are shrouded in mystery. It is likely that the Ancients built several settlements around Earth, but they were relatively small and the main population center was Antarctica, even after continental drift carried it down to the southern pole. This is not very surprising. While it would be a mistake to assume that Ancient society, and more importantly Ancient psychology, was identical to human norms, they were quite similar to us. At their level of technology, population levels would tend to be static and increase at a very slow rate. This supposition is backed up by the known population growth rates of the Tollan, Asgard, Nox, and to a lesser extent other advanced races and species. They likely settled many planets, but each one was lightly populated compared to 20th century Earth. This kept them spread out and less vulnerable to any single disaster. This was a wise precaution, as studies of some Ancient ruins seem to indicate that have been numerous planet-wide disasters throughout history, both of a mundane and arcane nature. Some even appear to have encompassed entire sectors of the galaxy.

Roughly five million years ago, the Ancients largely abandoned their settlements in the Milky Way, including those on Earth. The exact reason is unclear. Based on the encounter with Aiyanna (see Case TALIGENT GOSHAWK), it appears that a plague was a major driving force, but given that Aiyanna was able to cure most of those afflicted using advanced mental powers and that a Tok'ra was able to eliminate the disease from Colonel O'Neill, it seems certain that there must have been other factors. In any case, the Ancient population in the Milky Way plummeted. Earth was one of the few relatively untouched worlds, and much of the population here gathered at their largest city, Terra Atlantis. This was located at what is now the Antarctica Outpost (Base GOLD WHISKEY FIVE). The entire city, which was apparently capable of spaceflight, was then relocated to the Pegasus galaxy. Only a small number of Ancients were left behind and most of them later died of the plague or possibly ascended. In the intervening time, all of the remaining structures besides the outpost were stripped bare of useful technology. The outpost was left buried under a mile of ice and protected by some sort of anti-detection system. However, some ruins are still extant near the surface. These have been studied by various organizations ever since their discovery by the first Miskatonic expedition in 1930, under the aegis of various Antarctic treaties, the Dresden Agreement, and the Helsinki Accords.

Again, there is a gap in the historical record. It is clear that there was a considerable decline in Ancient population in the galaxy following the great disaster and it is possible that the majority of the race relocated to Pegasus. The Ancients clearly continued to have some contact and influence within the Milky Way, as evidenced by their leadership of the Alliance of the Great Races and their shepherding of several space fairing races as they developed. It seems certain that they had some influence on the evolution of humanity; our resemblance and ability to interbreed would otherwise be impossible.

Ancient society never fully recovered from the plague event, and went into a slow decline. However, it appears that something major happened roughly ten thousand years ago that caused them to essentially cut off all contact with the Milky Way. This roughly coincides with the rise of the Goa'uld as a galactic power, but given how much of their technology consists of bad copies of a few Ancient devices it seems that, as usual, they were merely scavengers picking through the ruins and not the cause of the Ancients' fall. Whether or not the Ancients remain extant in Pegasus is unknown, but statements from the Asgard seem to indicate this is unlikely. It appears that all surviving Ancients exist only on the ascended planes, a series of sub-universes loosely connected to our own. However, it is entirely that some remain in hiding.

While it may seem that Ancient history is largely irrelevant to our current affairs, it is none the less critical that we learn as much about it as we can. They are largely responsible for the current geopolitical makeup of the Milky Way and the surrounding galaxies. More important is their connection to us. By understanding the Ancients, we can understand our own origins, even if we may not like what we find. This understanding is essential for our own survival. Despite their essentially human nature, they somehow survived largely unchanged for sixty-five million years, if not longer. Even the Asgard, one of the oldest species we know, have a recorded history of only one hundred thousand years, and they are currently teetering on the brink of extinction. Most species do not last even that long, either being wiped out by themselves or external influences, evolving into something utterly alien, or simply dying away. The Ancients, on the other hand, survived. Their mundane technology far surpassed that of the Asgard, who are themselves unrivaled by all but the Replicators and Nox; Ancient arcanotechnology was so advanced that they could combat extradimesional entities such as the Great Old Ones and fight them to a standstill. It is one reason that the Asgard have shown such interest in us. They see us as a possible link to the Ancients that may hold the key to their own survival. If nothing else, we must explore that link to insure the safety of Earth, given both the constant threat of the Goa'uld and the predicted return of NIGHTMARE GREEN sometime within this century.

\-- dj


	2. Preliminary City Survey

**Preliminary City Survey Report  
Atlantis Expedition - Project CITADEL GOLD  
**

The engineering department has finished our initial survey of Atlantis. We have only just begun to examine the city's central database and other computer system, and until a thorough review of the information contained there can be completed we are mostly working off of supposition and guesswork. However, thanks to visual observation and some limited reconnaissance, we have been able to determine some basic facts.

Atlantis is a completely free-floating structure. There is no physical support of any kind linking it to the abyssal plain, let alone the deep oceanic trench directly below the city. This is quite a remarkable feat, as Atlantis surely masses in excess of a hundred million tons. There is a substantial submerged area and we think there may be vacuum-filled ballast tanks to provide buoyancy. However, it is also possible that there is at least some degree of anti-gravity or mass reduction technology at play. It is certainly possible that a structure of this size could be lightened enough to make the city float, given the observed capabilities of the Nox, Asgard, and Goa'uld. Obviously, this possibility is among the many reasons we continue to be cautious about shutting down the various unidentified systems that are currently drawing power.

The city is just over twenty-four kilometers in diameter, similar in length to Manhattan Island. However, the city's radial symmetry means that it is in fact much larger than Manhattan, to the order of roughly six times the surface area. We estimate that the city's surface area is approximate 350 – 360 square kilometers. For an Earth city that would be large but not especially so. Comparable cities, excluding greater metropolitan areas, include Belgrade, Bratislava, Indianapolis, and Dallas. However, this size is somewhat deceptive. While there are large open areas with only a few small two or three story protrusions, the towers of the city mean the internal volume is comparable to the urban cores of New York City or Tokyo. The average tower is on the order of two hundred stories tall, larger even than the planned Burj Dubai, and the control tower is almost two kilometers high. Furthermore, the city extends a considerable distance underwater, to the order of several hundred meters at the deepest points. Much of this appears to be taken up by utilities and support systems. Exploring the city completely will likely take years, even with the assistance of any maps we might find in the database.

As yet, we can only make educated guesses about the functions of the city's different areas. Most of the following information is speculative, as only the control tower has been examined in even a cursory manner.

  

  * **Control Tower:** Tallest building in the city, and isolated by a wide water gap. Mostly devoted to stargate operations and essential city functions, including the control room, a large gateship hangar, medical and quarantine facilities, and guest quarters. We have also located a ZPM room and continue to explore it.
  

  * **City Core:** At the center of the city are dozens of very tall buildings, which we believe to be mixed-use between residential, commercial, and scientific purposes. 
  

  * **East Pier:** Primarily residential buildings. This assumption is primarily based on the presence of a large park.
  

  * **West Pier:** Largely unknown, but as many of the buildings appear to have fewer windows it is possible that it is industrial in nature.
  

  * **South Pier:** Appears to be oriented to servicing and possibly constructing starships. It has markedly fewer buildings than the other main piers. There are six large flat areas. Four are roughly 1600x900 m in size, large enough to land a pair of Goa'uld motherships, and two are 2900x1600 m, quite large enough for even the largest known Asgard battleships.
  

  * **Secondary Piers:** These three piers have smaller and less numerous buildings of unknown purpose. Their main distinguishing features are the large raised hexagonal areas at their ends. These each have containment geometries and recessed portals similar to the one seen at the Antarctic outpost, only much larger, as well as six domes that may house energy weapons.
  



Unfortunately, very little of this is confirmed; it is entirely possible that the 'landing areas' were used for sports and the 'park' had a purely practical purpose. There is also the matter of possibly flood damage as a result of the shield failures experienced prior to the city's surfacing. We hope to find detailed maps and possibly even a master directory within the city databases, but at present our efforts and those of Linguistics necessarily are focused on understanding the essential control systems. For the time being we will have to be content with unguided physical exploration.

 

[   
(Click to embiggen) ](http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g132/slybrarian/aeon/map-gray-big.png)

_Radek Zelenka_  
Head of Engineering


	3. Glossary

**Ancients** \- a human-like alien species of extragalactic origin, who are possibly responsible for the evolution of mankind. Technologically they are by far the most advanced corporeal race known to have existed, and among other things they created the stargate network. The fate of the Ancients is unknown, but as of the departure of the Atlantis Expedition they appear to be extinct, discounting the ascended Ancients that exist on another plane of existence.

**Arcanotechnology** \- the application of occult science to practical purposes. Definitions of practical range from death rays to medical therapies to making omelets without breaking eggs. The Ancients were masters of arcane technology and made everyday use of it, having perfected safe methods to do so over the course of millions of years.

**Asgard** \- small gray aliens who are Earth's most valuable allies. For reasons that supposedly have to do with our potential as 'the fifth race', as well as SG-1's assistance against the replicators, they have seen fit to protect Earth. While not everyone is sure that the Asgard have Earth's best intentions at heart, there is little choice but to trust them.

**Basilisk Gun** \- An energy weapon used by the SGC, also called a medusa or stoner weapon. Basilisk weapons work by converting about a thousandth of the target's carbon atoms to highly electro-positive silicon atoms, and making an equal portion just disappear to conserve mass. This obviously does all sorts of bad things to the long carbon chains that make up any kind of carbon-based life. This makes the weapon very good against soft targets, but less so against armored vehicles without modification. Also, smoke, fog, heavy rain, or anything else that blocks line of sight will generally prevent the weapon from being effective. Field-deployable basilisks come in both 'pistol' and 'carbine' form, and look similar to a regular firearm with its barrel replaced by a cluster of cameras, not unlike "Cornershot" camera-equipped weapons. They have tiny naquadah power sources and video scopes. Rumor has it that, with the appropriate software and power supply, any webcam or digital video camera made since about 1999 can be turned into a basilisk. This rumors are surely false. After all, that would mean that the surveillance cameras at the SGC, not to mention the UK's entire CCTV grid, could be turned into a look-to-kill death rays.

**Citadel Gold** \- official code-name for the Atlantis Expedition.

**Deep Ones** \- fish-like aliens, now known to be called 'Oannes'. Most of the species was exterminated by the Goa'uld, leaving few survivors. Some still live on Earth, mostly minding their own business. They have little to do with humans, as they find life above water extremely uncomfortable, and are mostly content to leave humanity to its own devices.

**Delta Green** \- an interservice intelligence unit and the United State's premier anti-occult organization. Many SG personnel are drawn from Delta Green. The organization was originally part of the Office of Special Services, and survived as an independent unit when that group was dissolved following World War II. Delta Green is not purely military in nature, as it encompasses considerable R&amp;D efforts and occasionally acts in what might be considered a law enforcement capacity to prevent individuals from misusing dangerous technology even within the U.S.. Delta Green personnel tend to view the Stargate Program as either a godsend or a menace, depending on who you ask. Delta Green is headed by a steering committee, which in theory reports directly to the President and a select Congressional oversight group.

**Demons / Nameless Horrors / Gribbly Things** \- various colloquial names for minor extradimensional entities. They have little to do with mythological demons from any culture, except for their tendency to possess humans if given the chance. Most are purely non-corporeal, but some are transported from universes with life not unlike that found on Earth. For some reason, these often have tentacles.

**Furlings** \- the fourth of the great races. Almost nothing is known of them, beyond what little of their language has been uncovered and a few pieces of technology. However, the Asgard and Nox have confirmed that they are not, in fact, furry.

**Gate Psychosis** \- a psychiatric condition that affects a small number of gate travelers. While the stargate is far safer than any other know mechanism for opening a portal between planets or dimensions, it does have small but noticeable physiological affects on anyone who passes through. Typically this exhibits as nausea and frequent travelers quickly grow accustomed to it. However, a significant fraction of people instead grow mentally unstable in ways that manifest as psychosis, usually within two or three trips through the gate. This can range from small and mostly harmless delusions to full psychotic breaks. Over the years the SGC has developed comprehensive pre-screening procedures that weed out the vast majority of those susceptible to gate psychosis, as well as treatments. However, the only way to be sure a person is safe is to send them through the wormhole, and some SGC psychiatrists are of the opinion that many SG team personnel still end up with less noticeable psychological affects. This is hard to prove, given that they're subject to so many other stresses.

**Goa'uld** \- a parasitic alien species and, for all practical purposes, the rulers of the galaxy. The Goa'uld in their natural form are small, snake-like creatures and they use humans as hosts. The Goa'uld style themselves as gods, but they are all too aware that far greater beings exist that deserve that title more than them. For fear of such creatures, they have tightly controlled research into arcane matters on pain of death by torture. Goa'uld possession leaves trace amounts of naquadah in the host's body. Some of this is deposited in the eye, lending a distinct golden color. This can be suppressed by the Goa'uld while it is present, but once the symbiote is removed it becomes very apparent.

**Great Old Ones** \- a colloquial name for weakly god-like entities that dwell beyond conventional space-time. While as a general rule they don't care about humanity - indeed, most would never notice humanity exists - being near them tends to be dramatically fatal in all manner of gruesome ways. Punching holes in space-time and allowing them to come through to Earth is generally held to be unhealthy and ill-advised. Not to be confused with regular Old Ones, Elder Things, Old Things, Great Ones, or Ancients.

**Helsinki Accords** \- the post-WWII agreement between the major powers regarding occult threats and arcane technology. Following the atrocities committed by the [Ahnenerbe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahnenerbe)-SS, even Stalin agreed that arcane technology was too dangerous for general deployment and that a degree of cooperation and oversight was necessary to prevent a planetary disaster. While the level of cooperation has varied greatly and the superpowers often had minor behind-the-scenes incidents, the Accords did prevent things from getting too nasty even at the height of the Cold War.

**Hypergeometry** \- complex geometrical shapes used to alter the universe in some way. Geometry is, after all, a physical representation of advanced mathematical concepts and equations. To an extent, the superstitions surrounding certain runes, signs, and other drawings is based in this, although the vast majority of them have no connection to (any known) reality. The simplest hypergeometries are little more than pentagrams and similar shapes; the most complex are moving fractals that can only be created using advanced computer graphics and the best high-resolution monitors. To be of use, they generally have to be made with a conductive material, such as copper wire, iron, or conductive paint, as it is necessary to effectively conduct and balance the electromagnetic effects being created. However, the most cutting-edge research is now done using optical means such as lasers or projectors. Not only can they be safely shut down with the flip of a switch, but they are rather less likely to electrocute anyone.

**International Oversight Advisory (IOA)** \- a UN organization dealing with occult and extraterrestrial matters, established as part of the Helsinki Accords. Its name is deliberately vague and meaningless. It has been active since the formation of the UN and is set up along similar lines to the Security Council, to which it is technically subordinate. It has been rather more successful than its big, public brother in maintaining the peace, in no small part because of greater external threats. This kind of cooperation only went so far, however, as was shown when it turned out that the US was operating an interstellar transportation device out of Cheyenne Mountain, something which only the Canadians (due to their large presence at NORAD) and later the Russians were aware of. Following the Battle of Antarctica, the IOA has begun stepping up its oversight role. The Atlantis Expedition operates under the aegis of the IOA.

**Mr. Bowie** \- a sapient, telepathic Bowie knife and unofficial fifth member of SG-13. Alternatively, a strange shared delusion among the member of said team. Most SGC personnel don't particularly care which is the truth.

**Naquadah** \- an extraordinarily rare element with unique properties that make it useful for high-energy and multi-dimensional purposes. It is one of a few super-heavy elements in the so-called 'island of stability' beyond the artificial transuranic elements. It is a natural room temperature superconductor and something about its atomic structure causes it to resonate with subspace. When exposed to a current and some types of radiation, it can draw energy from subspace. This property is why it is useful for both bombs and generators - it produces more energy than is put into it. The subspace resonance also is why it is important for hyperspace drives, force field generators, and stargates.

**Necronomicon** \- also known as _al-Azif_. The Necronomicon was written in the early eighth century by the Mad Arab Abdul al-Hazred. It purportedly contains considerable occult information and descriptions of the true nature of the universe. While some parts are disturbingly accurate, much of it has been shown to be distorted, mistranslated, or outright incorrect. No public copies are known to exist; the one from the archive of Miskatonic University was appropriated by the NID in 1948.

**NID** \- the National (Necromantic) Intelligence Division, a subordinate agency within Delta Green. Its roots lie with the pre-war Black Chamber. It is nominally tasked with intelligence gathering and law enforcement. Recently there have been some major changes to NID management, due to the revelation that many senior members had been compromised by business and political interests, to the detriment of national and planetary security. This was, needless to say, something of an egg on the organization's face. Those responsible have since been shown the error of their ways. (See: zombies)

**Nightmare Green** \- code name for the upcoming grand conjunction during which the stars will be right for the Great Old Ones to once more walk the Earth. This is just a little concerning to everyone in the know and various proposals have been floated for either defending against them or preventing the conjunction, perhaps by removing inconvenient stars.

**Nox** \- a peaceful alien race that is counted among Earth's friends. The Nox are immensely advanced, both technologically and in terms of mental abilities. Just how advanced is unclear, although they are almost certainly equal to the Asgard in capabilities. Because of their human-like appearance, it is speculated that they may be related to the Ancients (Nox is, in fact, the Ancient word for 'Night'), but both they and the Asgard have consistently avoided answering any questions on the matter. Because of their pacifist nature, they refuse to play an active role in defeating the Goa'uld, although they have been known to assist in indirect ways under the right circumstances.

**Project Heliotrope** \- a long-standing effort to produce a working spacecraft based on alien technology, which ultimately resulted in the X/F-302 fighter and X/BC-303 cruiser.

**Shoggoth** \- an advanced quasi-robotic Ancient servitor. They are primarily nanotechnological in nature and are believed to come in several variants. The simplest are cloud-like [utility fogs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_fog), while the largest and most powerful are oily blob-like creatures the size of subway cars. They were used for a variety of purposes ranging from building construction and maintenance to combat. Only a single example has been found on Earth. It was located in abandoned Ancient ruins in 1963; unfortunately, it went out of control and was destroyed.

**Stargate Command** \- headquarters of the Stargate Program, which is responsible for off-world exploration and defense. The SGC draws personnel from the general armed services, and these officers and men rarely return to the 'regular' parts of their respective branches. This is a necessity due to the specialized nature of the work and the need to maintain absolute secrecy. The program is something of a black hole as far as the other parts of the military are concerned: people go in and never come out, at least not alive. It operates largely independently due to the unique nature of the threats it deals with. The current commanding officer is Brig. Gen. Jack O'Neill.

**GRU SV-9** \- Spetsialni Viedtosky 9 (Special Department 9), Russian arcane intelligence.

**Tau'ri** \- "humans of the first world". This is the Goa'uld name for Terrans/Earthlings, and is generally the term used by SG personnel in referring to the people of Earth, as it is both understood more widely and does not come from any one Earth language or culture.

**Zombies** \- rumors that the SGC and Area 51 occasionally utilize zombies for security or dealing with hazardous materials have no basis in reality. Human zombies, at any rate.


End file.
